All 442 Victims of Shipwreck in China’s Yangtze River Have Been Cremated

On Tuesday morning, the last of the 442 victims that perished on the Eastern Star cruise ship when it capsized into the Yangtze River was cremated in Jianli county, Hubei Province. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), the mass funeral took place at the original site of where the ship sank after a tornado hit the area earlier this month.

The MCA stated all 2,347 relatives that were present at the ceremony left as of Wednesday morning, and now this tragic incident can be put into the past. Search and rescue teams underwent days-long search attempts to locate those who were trapped within the ship. The Eastern Star was on an 11-day cruise on the Yangtze River, carrying 403 tourists, 46 crew members, and five travel officials when it capsized on the night of June 1. 442 lives were lost in the shipwreck, and just 12 survived the tragic incident.

An initial investigation revealed that an EF-1 tornado struck the area after a major storm cell moved through China’s Yangtze River valley. The investigation showed that no foul play was involved that caused the shipwreck.